


Pod

by BubbaKnowlton



Series: Evil Space Dads [59]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Crying, Dad AU, Hux is a worried n loving mum lmao, M/M, alien baby, alien/xeno Hux, force sensitive baby, marsupial-esque biology, talk about child death (that never actually happened)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-18 18:43:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11296557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubbaKnowlton/pseuds/BubbaKnowlton
Summary: Sequel to Pouch !After putting their child into a small pod to nap, the baby is kidnapped by the Resistance and goes on an adventure meeting their family. Failing to find them with the Force, Hux and Kylo assume the worst.





	Pod

**Author's Note:**

> FINALLY finished this. So I really loved the lil grub baby from Pouch and wanted to write about them when they're a big chubby grub ! I named them Demi because of something that will take place in my (maybe) third fic with them.  
> I really like making Hux cry lmao  
> Demi is like? A year and a half old in this

**Pod**

"Hux said you're being fussy, huh, Demi? What do you have to say for yourself?" Kylo lifted up the larva, and they trilled excitedly. "He gets stressed when you don't go back in, you know? Makes him feel like you're never going to go back in too early. You make him terribly worried." Demi bumped their mandibles against his fingers, making a purring noise. 

"Ren, don't talk about me like I'm not here," Hux said from his desk chair. He narrowed his eyes. "And I'm not worried that much. I just want Demi to be kept in the right conditions."

"Your mum's so worried about you, always."

"Ren."

"It's because he loves you a whole lot. Are you sure you don't want to stay with him, Demi?" Kylo held them out to Hux, but they made no motion to go closer. Kylo could feel the dejection from Hux. "Don't get upset, Hux, Demi just wants to explore the world. They can't do that in your shirt."

"Demi wants to take a nap, not explore. I told you that. Take them to their pod so they don't get sick from sleeping in the cold."

"Ah. Is that so? Are you tired, Demi?" The larva made a shrill noise, and Kylo wasn't sure if it was an agreement or just a response to the sound of their voices. Either way, they would be taking a nap. He adjusted his hold on the larva so they were settled in the crook of his arm. "Let's go get you in bed, Demi."

"Wait-" Hux took Demi back for a moment to run a hand down their back and kiss the top of their head, over their mandibles. Demi wiggled their stubby legs happily. Then Hux handed the baby back, clearing his throat and returning to work.

"I told you your mum is worried about you."

"Take them to their pod, Ren!"

-

Kylo went to the orb shaped pod sitting on Hux's desk and entered the code to open it. He held Demi to the hole that opened up, and they crawled into the humid heat inside of it. He sealed it shut, and made sure all the settings were correct, clicking on the custom settings file Hux had labeled for him so he wouldn't click the wrong one. He checked that the air filter was working and clear, and then left.

Demi slept in content, the warmth and feeling of the pod exactly like their mother's pouch, only without the movement and noise and radiating feelings of stress. It wasn't as good as being in their mother's pouch when he was asleep, able to feel the steady rhythm of his breathing, and sensing him and their father so close, but it did the trick during the day.

They woke up with the feeling of the pod being moved. At first it was a gentle movement, but after a few minutes, the ride became bumpy, as if whoever was carrying them was running. They started to panic. Their parents never moved the pod, and certainly didn't run with it. If they wanted to move them somewhere while they were asleep, they would gently remove them from the pod and put them back into their mother's pouch.

Reaching out with the Force, they found that whoever was carrying them was completely new. They'd never sensed this person before, and they didn't feel like a stormtrooper or an officer. No one but their parents ever picked them up, except for that one occasion where a lieutenant had grabbed them before they could fall off their mother's desk.

-

Poe had no idea what was in the device he was carrying, but it looked important, so he'd taken it, along with a few datapads in the General's room. He'd bumped into an officer, who immediately freaked out upon seeing what he was holding. They quickly hit their comm, "General- an intruder took the pod from your quarters!"

He'd started running after that. Whatever he was holding was definitely important. Maybe it was some new weapon. General Organa would surely find it useful, whatever it was.

He wished the device was a lot lighter. It was hard to run with something so heavy. It was like having to carry BB-8. 

As he made it close to where he'd be making his escape, he heard the sound of a lightsaber igniting. "Oh, blast-" Poe looked back to see Kylo Ren rounding a corner. He ran faster, not wanting to be caught. The device flashed some kind of warning, but he didn't have the time to look down at it, hoping that it wouldn't explode in his arms.

He made it to an escape pod, just starting to feel the device being tugged by the force, and closed the door. He pressed the eject button, right as Kylo Ren reached the door. As the pod spiraled off, Poe sighed in relief. He quickly punched in the coordinates for the Resistance base, and escaped.

-

Kylo roared, slamming his hand against the door as the pod sped away. He turned off his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt, clenching his fists. He reached out with the Force and Demi called back, terrified. The feeling faded away as the pod leapt into hyperspace.

If only he'd been faster, had pulled harder with the Force- If he'd just been _better_ , the little pod wouldn't be in the hands of the Resistance.

"Ren?" Hux called out, breathless. He slowed down from his own run, panting. "Did you get Demi back?"

He felt too ashamed to answer. It was clear anyways that he obviously didn't have their child, and that an escape pod was missing. 

Hux realized that. "Where are they?"

"Poe Dameron has them. The escape pod he took is already gone."

"Oh." Hux sounded so heartbroken he couldn't bear to look at him. "I see. Well, I'll just... go back to the bridge."

He lightly probed at Hux's mind, and found that he was in a state of shock and grief. He didn't blame him at all, and somehow that made him feel even worse.

-

Kylo hid in their quarters, meditating to try and figure out where Demi had been taken. The First Order wouldn't be allowed to send troops to rescue a baby, and he couldn't get in contact with any of his Knights. If none of them were on missions, he would have sent them after Demi. He debated asking Snoke if he could take his ship and go look, but decided against it. Although Snoke was interested in the baby and their Force sensitivity, he couldn't go out with no clue where to go.

As soon as he did, he'd go ask.

His search through the Force was fruitless. He simply wasn't strong enough to look so far in the Force. It'd require a lot more focus and time.

He was pulled from his meditation as the door opened. Hux shuffled in, the door sliding shut behind him. He mutely took off his coat and boots, and then came over to the bed. He climbed onto it, and curled up on his side of it, silent.

Kylo reached out to touch him, but then pulled his hand back. Hux must have been feeling truly horrible to not go through his evening routine, to actually wear his uniform in bed. He'd never done that before, always making sure to change into his sleepwear. 

Sighing, he tried to go back to meditating. He couldn't, not with Hux's feelings jabbing into him like a knife, but tried anyways. After a few minutes of struggling, Hux asked him, "Do you think Demi is dead?"

He was too shocked by the question to answer, and Hux took it as a yes. He curled up even tighter, sniffling. His breath hitched, and he brought his hands to his face. "This is all my fault..."

"No, it's not." Kylo moved closer to him. If anything, it was his fault, not Hux's. "I wasn't strong enough to save them."

"If I hadn't let them out of the pouch, they wouldn't- they wouldn't be dead."

There was a small noise like a stifled sob, and Kylo carefully maneuvered Hux so that he was sitting up. His eyes were wet, and he was blinking back tears. He pulled the man close. "They're not dead, trust me. We'll get them back."

"You don't know that. Why wouldn't that pilot kill them? Demi is useless to the Resistance. If they don't kill them immediately, they'll just starve! And if the pod isn't charged they'll suffocate!" He rubbed Hux's back. It didn't comfort him at all, and just seemed to make it worse. Hux buried his face in the crook of his neck, shoulders shuddering. He could feel wetness against his skin. 

The thought of Demi dying was too much, so he forced it out of his mind. They would save them, they had to. His mother wouldn't allow Dameron to kill the baby, surely she'd sense their Force sensitivity and take care of them. It was just a matter of stealing them back.

While he knew that his mother would never kill her own grandchild, Hux didn't. He just assumed the Resistance would see Demi as some creature and dispose of them. And he'd blame himself forever until they got Demi back. 

"I would sense if they died."

"You can't sense them at all, though, can you? So that means they're gone." Hux gripped the front of his shirt. "I miss them."

-

Hux didn't sleep at all that night. Kylo stayed up to keep meditating, but kept looking over at Hux. He'd managed to change, but just laid there on his side, one of Demi's blankets next to him. He kept tracing over it with his fingers, and rolling up his shirt to prod at his pouch. It looked strange with it empty, the skin having stretched as Demi grew bigger and bigger. 

He gave Hux a soft nudge partway through the night, and they held hands for a while. While it didn't lessen how upset he was, he could tell Hux appreciated that he was there with him. After a while, he moved to lie down behind Hux, wrapping an arm around him. It was hard to avoid touching his abdomen, but he managed. 

While he continued to try and find Demi over the next few days, Hux simply kept doing his job, drifting. He did what he needed to do, but was mostly silent. He barely ate, coming back to their room in the evening, numbly changing, and going to bed without even talking to him.

One night, as Kylo took a break from searching to eat, Hux came in at the end of his shift. He cleaned up in the 'fresher and changed, but then stopped as he exited and looked around at the room. 

"Hux?"

As though a flip had been switched, Hux started moving. He gathered up all of Demi's things -blankets, some toys, a bottle, and even the sweater Hux had managed to create for them- and put them in a box. He closed the box and then shoved it under the bed, where he'd never have to see any of it again.

He was trembling as he stood up, eyes wet. Kylo had paused in eating as soon as Hux started to collect everything. "What are you doing?"

"Moving on," he forced out. "It's been four days, I'm being pathetic. I'm sorry you had to watch me act like that."

"Grieving?"

"Yes. I'm- I'm all done with that now." He definitely wasn't. Grieving was a lengthy process, and certainly lasted longer than four days. Hux bit his lower lip, and got onto the bed. He grabbed his datapad and Kylo watched him put in an order for food. "Everything's back to the way it was, I assure you."

-

When Poe arrived at the Resistance base a few long hours after getting away from the _Finalizer,_ he felt great. He'd managed to grab some datapads filled with info, and he still wasn't sure what the device was, but it had a complicated screen and an access code on it. Maybe some plans were inside of it, some sort of weapon.

General Organa would be very happy to see what he'd brought back. He stuck all the datapads into the bag he had, swung them over his shoulder, and then hefted up the device.

BB-8 rolled up to him, beeping excitedly. After giving the droid a brief run down of what happened, "I grabbed some info and this important looking thing, buddy! Almost got skewered by Kylo Ren, but I escaped," he walked into the base. He found General Organa quickly, and approached her. "General! I've got some stuff!"

"What is that?" He set down the device on a table, and laid out the datapads. 

"I don't know. It was in the General's quarters, on his desk. I thought it looked important, and an officer seemed to think so when they saw me with it. Kylo Ren tried to get it back too. It needs some sort of access code, so there's something inside."

She inspected it. "There's a filter here, and a small water tank." She tapped the screen. "Temperature, light, and humidity control... And a heartbeat detector?" She clicked that, and the screen changed to show a heartbeat monitor. It was beating steadily.

"There's something alive in it?"

"We'll have to find out." She called over someone who could force the latch open. Once it was unlocked, it automatically popped out and then opened itself. She stepped up to it with Poe. He kept a hand on his blaster, in case whatever came out was dangerous. After a few seconds something pale came near the exit. Then, a little head of a grub peered up, making a small chirping sound.

It looked harmless. It swerved its head to look at them both, making a low, confused sound. It looked down, and seeing it was on a table, it crawled the rest of the way out and gently plopped down. The device closed behind it.

"Hey there, little guy. Do you understand basic?" Poe asked it. It nodded, giving another chirp. It was sentient. "Were you the only thing inside of that?" It nodded again.

Leia reached out to it, and it nuzzled her fingers, giving a trill. "What were you doing in the General's room?"

Surprisingly, there was a light nudge at her mind before an image of Hux appeared. He was smiling down at the larva. With a stronger nudge, it turned into a full memory, albeit short.

" _Demi, I'm back! Did you miss Mum? I sure missed you._ " Hux lifted up the larva and held them against his chest. " _Was your father good to you while I was gone, sweetheart?_ "

It cut off there. Poe was staring at her. "General?"

"They're Force sensitive. Demi... Is that your name?" They nodded. "And that was your... mother?" A more vigorous nod.

"What did it show you?"

"We've apparently captured General Hux's child, Demi." A thought occurred to her that she didn't like. "Based on their Force sensitivity, we can only assume that Kylo Ren is the father."

"Oh-" Demi gave a loud trill, stopping Poe from saying anything. They both stared at them, and they looked back. "Is Kylo Ren your dad?" A nod.

Leia wasn't so sure about how she felt about her grandchild being a grub, but at least they were sweet. She had to admit they were kind of cute as well, with a plump white body and stubby little legs. Leia lifted them up, surprised at the weight of them. "I don't think we can get any secrets out of this one. They can't talk."

"If it stayed with Hux, then wouldn't it have overheard everything he said? Rey could check its memories and see."

"In moderation. It's stressful for an adult to have their memories looked at, it might be much worse for a baby."

"Of course. I'll go tell her. Stars, she's not going to believe me when I say Ren has a kid and I stole it. Oh, kri- um. Won't he and Hux get really upset and come after us?"

"We're prepared for them. Go tell Luke as well."

-

"You kidnapped Kylo Ren's kid?!" It seemed that Finn had tagged along as well. BB-8 chirped in a similar tone, the same astonishment. Rey and Luke were with them as well, both of them looking troubled. "Poe, he's going to come and try to kill us."

"It's General Hux's kid too."

"The entire First Order is going to come and try to kill us too. The kid probably has a tracker on it."

"I didn't think of that. Come look at them, they're harmless." 

"Harmless- oh."

Leia was still holding Demi, and had found them a bottle of bantha's milk to drink. They'd been skeptical of the taste at first, and sent her a memory she hadn't wanted to experience of what Hux apparently produced in some sort of pouch, but got used to it. Sharing memories shared not just vision, but feeling and taste as well. Now they were happily drinking blue milk, and she was trying to forget the memory.

They wriggled slightly, chugging milk as fast as they could. Poe's flight back had been a long one, and they were hungry. 

"This is Kylo Ren's child?" Luke came up first and looked at the larva. "They're so young."

He must have been worried that if a Force sensitive child was older, they would be consumed by darkness or be dangerous. Demi, however, was just a harmless infant. Nothing to worry about, with a small but bright Force presence. "Yes. The new youngest Skywalker. Their name is Demi."

"Hello, Demi. I'm Luke."

Demi ignored Luke to continue eating. Once the bottle was empty, Demi whined and squirmed. Leia patted their back until they calmed down and settled in her arms. The larva got nervous when it finally noticed everyone in the room, turning themselves over to hide their face against Leia.

They were starting to feel a bit cold, so she put them back in the pod. It was busted, so it wouldn't need a passcode. A settings screen still popped up. She almost went to hit default, but then saw one was labeled 'THIS ONE, REN.' She clicked it, and the pod's systems turned on. The heart rate monitor came on, and there was a whir from the filter.

With them secure in the pod, she turned to the group. "The child is Force sensitive, but very young. They can share memories, though that appears to be the extent of their power. They are definitely Ren's child with Hux, they have shown me multiple memories featuring him referring to himself as the mother."

"Is the pod some kind of life support system?" Luke ran his hand over it. 

"Hux carries the child in a pouch. This pod seems to mimic it."

"A pouch? How strange. Does Ren have a good relationship with the child?"

"I haven't seen him in any memories yet, though Hux has mentioned that Demi stays with him at times, and they're happy when he's mentioned."

"They're far too young to teach, so I suppose we'll have to raise them until they become a humanoid person. I assume they will pupate."

-

Demi was quite easy to take care of. They needed to be fed every few hours, and have themselves and their pod wiped clean every morning. The pod had to be charged every few days, the water tank kept full. They enjoyed being carried around, but would huddle up when they got too cold and dry. The larva loved to play with anyone they got used to, except for Poe. They got scared whenever he came near.

However, after four days, they didn't want to play as much as before, and weren't curious about everything while being held. After almost another week, they refused to do anything outside of the pod but eat.

Leia tried to play with them one evening, and they made a horrible shrieking noise which she quickly realized was crying. 

"What's wrong, Demi?"

Rapid flashes of Hux and Kylo entered her mind, making her dizzy. Demi didn't let up even when she put them down. That only made it worse, with more memory fragments and stronger feelings. The flashes finally turned into a single memory, darkness and an up and down feeling. Terror radiated inside of her mind, and in the memory she could feel her son trying to stay connected with Demi. The terror increased until they couldn't sense Kylo, and then stayed where it was.

Demi stopped the memories, not letting up their crying.

"You miss your parents, don't you?" They nodded. "Demi..." She couldn't tell them she wouldn't allow them to see their parents ever again, had to save them from the Dark side. She wondered if her son was searching for his child, if he and Hux were even worried at all.

-

Slashing his lightsaber against the wall, Kylo held back the urge to scream. He hated himself for his lack of power, his inability to find Demi. He'd been meditating for hours, had done his absolute best to the point where his whole body was shaking with the distance he'd searched.

He was so unbelievably frustrated. It'd been ten days with absolutely nothing. Ten days where his mother could have been manipulating his child, treating them poorly. Demi was delicate and needed to be given special care to make sure they grew and thrived. They must have been so scared. They'd always hated being away from them for more than a few hours.

He needed to find them. Trying to meditate this angry wouldn't work at all, so he decided to go to Hux's quarters to try and calm down. Hux had been emotionally numb whenever Kylo had seen him during his rare trips out to get food, so surely it'd be easier to get control of himself.

-

He entered Hux's rooms without knocking, and didn't see him in the bedroom. The refresher door was closed. Everything was immaculate as always, and the box of Demi's items was still underneath the bed, though it was close to the edge, on its side, with the sweater missing from it.

Using the Force to open the refresher door, he found Hux. The man was sitting against the wall, knees bent. Hux was trembling, holding the sweater. Although he'd tried to convince Hux that Demi was still alive, the man refused to believe him.

Though maybe Demi really was dead, and he couldn't sense them because of that, not because of his power. He couldn't dismiss the thought. Maybe he'd never get to see his child again because he was too weak to save them. Hux was usually right about things relating to Demi, so what reason other than false hope did he have not to agree with him?

The feeling was awful, like someone was trying to carve out his chest. Demi was gone, and they were never coming back. 

"Hux?"

The redhead looked up. His eyes were red and full of tears, his knees wet.

"You were right. Demi's-" He couldn't bring himself to say it. Hux understood and held out a hand. Kylo took it and dropped down next to him. He buried his face in Hux's shoulder. "It's all my fault. I wasn't powerful enough."

"Neither of us were good enough."

"I miss them..."

-

Demi refused to come out of the pod, screeching if Leia tried to reach inside of it. She had to hold the bottle partway through the hole to feed them. She guessed that Demi was trying to mimic their mother's pouch. They were sad, and she couldn't cheer them up.

Hopefully after they pupated they would be much more reasonable. At least then they wouldn't have to be kept in a pouch-like container.

During the night, she could sense Demi calling out in the Force for their parents. Whenever they weren't sleeping and they thought she was, they'd do it. 

-

"What are you doing?" They'd moved back to the bed when a droid came up with Hux's dinner. The ginger had set it aside and pulled out his datapad. He was in Demi's records, editing them.

"We haven't updated their file." Hux entered in a death date.

"We don't know what day they..." He still couldn't say it, didn't want to.

"It's comforting to think the Resistance quickly killed them, rather than that they suffered before dying."

"It is." Imagining Demi in any sort of pain was awful. They'd always been so sensitive to everything. Even just being a bit too cold made them cry, how would they have reacted to starving or suffocation? "I'll kill that pilot for taking them away." Hux set down his datapad and crossed his legs. Kylo shifted so that he could rest his head in Hux's lap. Hux looked down at him, eyes blank. He played with his hair, lost in thought.

"I don't want to have another child," Hux said after a few minutes. "I'd be too afraid to let them do anything, and they'd hate us."

"Agreed."

"I've had my fill of parenting. Demi wasn't a mistake, but I wish we never had them. This hurts."

-

Rumors of a Resistance base housing the new Jedi and Organa brought the _Finalizer_ to a backwater system. Hux expected it to be another false lead, but a scout spotted an X-wing that suggested otherwise. It went down to the largest moon in the system.

"I'll lead the squadron down to the base myself." Hux looked over at Kylo, expressionless. The Knight hadn't come to the bridge since _that_ , as Hux had started referring to Demi's kidnapping, almost three weeks ago, certainly not after he started grieving the week before. "I sense something."

"Don't make any poor decisions due to your grief, Ren. You are not to engage the Jedi if they are there without orders from the Supreme Leader."

"I will be leaving."

Hux took a deep breath as Kylo left the bridge, turning around. He went to an officer and handed them his datapad. He clicked on a program. "Lieutenant, if this red dot shuts off, alert me immediately."

"What is it, sir?"

"I have a tracker installed on Ren. If the dot shuts off, it means he is no longer alive." Kylo was going to do something reckless, he could just tell.

"S-sir-"

"It is extremely important that you keep an eye on it."

-

Something had set Demi off, because they wouldn't stop calling out with the Force even though it was daytime and she was with them. They'd let her take them out, and were calling out as she cleaned them. They refused food, but she'd fed them a few hours ago in the pod, so she wasn't too worried.

Until they started looking happy. Demi began wriggling around and squeaking. With how much they missed their parents, she knew that them being happy could only mean they sensed their father. Right as she figured that out, alarms blared.

Her comm went off, so she answered. Poe's voice came through. "General! A First Order squadron is attacking. Kylo Ren's shuttle is landing."

-

"Ren is landing on the planet despite the mission plan being an aerial attack, General."

Hux glanced over at the officer with his datapad, but they were still looking at the screen. "Tell the rest of the squadron to avoid the area where he landed and to continue the attack."

"Yes, General."

-

Igniting his lightsaber, Kylo followed the source of what he'd sensed. It couldn't possibly be what he thought it was. It had to be a trick, but he had to check anyways, or else it would haunt him.

-

Leia could feel her son approaching, as well as hear all the chirping Demi was making. They'd stopped calling out with the Force, exhausted, and were waiting instead.

There was no way she could outrun her son, but she still tried to get away. Things were chaotic in the base, making it harder to get through. She hoped that Rey would be able to buy her some time, so she could keep her grandchild away from the dark for just a bit longer. She had to try.

-

He avoided the Jedi, even as the scavenger pursued him. There were other familiar Force presences on the base, but he only focused on one of them, dismissing all the others. He flung the scavenger away with the Force when she got close, and ran.

Finally he spotted where the presence was coming from. His mother. Was it really all a trick then? He didn't know she could mimic something so perfectly. Grief consumed him once more. He'd been so hopeful that it was Demi he could sense, but it wasn't so.

Hux had told him not to attack any Jedi, but he was sure his mother didn't fall into that category, despite her minor Force sensitivity. Hux would be glad if he got rid of his mother, wouldn't he? At least, it'd be one less anxiety. He didn't think Hux would ever be happy again. Yet if he managed to kill his mother, he wasn't sure if the Jedi would let him escape. Hux didn't deserve any more grief.

He stopped, gritting his teeth. The Jedi had tricked him perfectly. He'd fight them, even if it was a death sentence with how out of focus he was. He had no other choice. The fact that his mother was still faking Demi's presence just made it worse. 

His mother slowed down to a halt. "Ben?"

He looked at her. She had her back to him. She turned, and his eyes widened. 

Demi trilled loudly. " _Demi!_ " They were alive. They didn't look as healthy as they usually did, but they were _alive._

He needed to grab them and return to the ship as fast as he could. Moving towards his mother, he reached out with the Force. He kept her in place, and quickly ran up to her, shutting off his lightsaber and clipping it to his belt. Taking Demi, he hugged them, feeling tears well up. "I thought you were dead! Demi, you're alive!" They chirped and snuggled against him. "I missed you so much- we need to go home."

Releasing his mother, he turned and started running.

-

Hux kept glancing at the officer, expecting that at any second they would announce that the red dot was gone. He tried to focus on the battle to keep from thinking about what he would do if Kylo never came back. He was forcing himself to cope with losing just Demi, was surprised he even managed to keep working and eating, he wouldn't be able to do it if both of them were gone.

He didn't think he wanted to do it if both of them were gone.

"Kylo Ren's ship is lifting off, General."

"He's coming back?"

"It appears so. He's headed towards us."

The officer still hadn't announced anything, so he felt a bit hopeful that maybe he wouldn't lose Kylo as well. Hux decided he'd talk to him after the battle about how he felt, and make him realize that it wasn't fair of him to deviate from plan and risk his life just because he was emotionally compromised.

-

"Your mum and I missed you so much, Demi. We really thought you were gone forever. Your mum did for longer, so I think he's going to be crying a lot more than I am." He was so relieved that Demi was alive, so glad he had them safe in his arms. He couldn't wait to see the look on Hux's face when he showed him Demi. "Did you miss us too?" Based on Demi's wriggling and the ensuing trills, he took it as a yes. 

-

Hux walked down to the hangar after issuing new orders to bomb the base and return back to the ship. Kylo was just exiting the ship, and when he made it to him, the ramp was being pulled back up.

"Ren. Don't you ever do that again!"

"Hey, Hux-"

"That was an aerial strike, not a ground one! Do you know how worrying it is when you deviate from the plan? You're not allowed to just go and risk your life- you could die! And... And then what would I do? I can't lose you too, I can't." Kylo looked absurdly happy.

" _Hux,_ look." Kylo pulled down his cowl, revealing the top part of a squishy body.

"...Demi?" Hux looked stunned. Demi squirmed, wanting to go to him, and tears welled up in his eyes. "Demi!" Kylo handed him the baby, and Hux hugged them tightly, sobbing against and kissing them.

Kylo took Hux's arm and pulled him along. "Let's get Demi to the medbay."

-

Hux didn't want to let go of Demi, so the medic had to examine them while they were on Hux's lap. He wouldn't let the medic take them, so to weigh them, the medic had to instruct him on how to do it. The medic was horribly nervous, not sure what to do with Hux still crying.

"They've lost a bit of weight, and seem to be a bit malnourished. You need to feed them regularly, and make sure the feedings are long enough to make them feel completely full."

Demi nuzzled against Hux's neck, making small noises. Hux kissed the top of their head. 

"Also, since they were planetside, they're probably going to get ill at some point, or could pass on a sickness. Sir, I wouldn't kiss them again until they've been cleaned. Ah- don't let them chew on themselves until they've been cleaned either."

They were trying to gnaw on one of their legs, curling up. Hux uncurled them, letting them chew at his hand instead. 

The medic handed Hux some sterilizing wipes, so he cleaned them off. Demi hated the smell of them and wriggled around. After wiping them down, he used a plain wipe to clean them. After they were clean, he hugged them again.

After that, the medic let them leave. Kylo dragged Hux back to his quarters, knowing Hux would later on be embarrassed if he went back to the bridge in this state. He was grateful that they didn't come across anyone on their walk.

"Mum missed you so much, I'm so glad you're okay... I thought I'd lost you forever, I didn't know what to do..." 

In Hux's quarters, Kylo took Demi while Hux removed his gloves and cleaned his pouch, having neglected to do so every day or to a full extent since Demi had gone missing. After cleaning it, Hux came back and played with Demi, cuddling them. 

Demi eventually grew tired of playing, and moved to Hux's lap, bumping against his abdomen. Hux undid his belt and pulled up his shirt and undershirt to expose the pouch. Kylo lifted up Demi and helped them wriggle in. They squirmed around until they were comfortable. Hux pulled down his undershirt, but removed his uniform shirt. He'd gone back to his old uniform shirts while Demi was gone, but with Demi in the pouch, they would be too tight. 

Hux was smiling wide. He looked happier than Kylo had ever seen him before. Demi wriggled around again and Hux's smile brightened even more. "Make sure to eat a lot, Demi. You need to gain back all your lost weight."

**Author's Note:**

> Afterwards: Hux gets a cold from all the kisses he gave Demi, and he never lets Demi out of the pouch without constant supervision again
> 
> Follow/talk to me on Tumblr: @Oblioknowlton or @Tinybibmpreg


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